Ethics of Storytelling: The Wounds of Deception and Pseudo-PTSD in Atonement

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dc.contributor.authorTurki, Harith Ismael
dc.contributor.authorAshmawy, Merve Feryal
dc.date.accessioned2026-04-25T14:13:30Z
dc.date.available2026-04-25T14:13:30Z
dc.date.issued2024
dc.departmentSinop Üniversitesi
dc.description.abstractIan McEwan’s Atonement (2001) is one of the most controversial novels due to the complexity of its narratives and characters, particularly its central character. Therefore, this article deals with pseudo-PTSD in Atonement, examining how trauma is delineated, built, and manipulated within the metafictional framework of the novel. While classical PTSD is depicted through forced memories of traumatic events, McEwan’s protagonist produces an unreliable narrative of guilt and redemption that parodies trauma without genuine experience. This study explores the character’s psychological state, arguing that her self-imposed suffering functions as a simulacrum of PTSD—what can be termed pseudo-PTSD—a term coined by Rosen & Tylor (2007). Drawing their perspective, the article examines Briony’s retrospective storytelling as both a coping mechanism and an act of self-mythologization, highlighting the ethical and epistemological implications of traumatised narrator, narrating trauma and traumatic narrative. Ultimately, Atonement challenges the reliability of memory and the legitimacy of self-inflicted psychological ‘wounds’, raising critical questions about authorship, responsibility, and the commodification of suffering in fiction. © 2024 Karadeniz Technical University. All rights reserved.
dc.identifier.doi10.59045/nalans.2024.62
dc.identifier.endpage340
dc.identifier.issn2148-4066
dc.identifier.issue26
dc.identifier.scopus2-s2.0-105001407998
dc.identifier.scopusqualityQ2
dc.identifier.startpage330
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.59045/nalans.2024.62
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/11486/8109
dc.identifier.volume12
dc.indekslendigikaynakScopus
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherKaradeniz Technical University
dc.relation.ispartofNALANS: Journal of Narrative and Language Studies
dc.relation.publicationcategoryMakale - Uluslararası Hakemli Dergi - Kurum Öğretim Elemanı
dc.rightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.snmzKA_Scopus_20260420
dc.subjectAtonement
dc.subjectmemory
dc.subjectpseudo-PTSD
dc.subjecttrauma
dc.subjectunreliable narrative
dc.titleEthics of Storytelling: The Wounds of Deception and Pseudo-PTSD in Atonement
dc.typeArticle

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